Cosmetic Surgery for Weddings and Events

Anniversaries, reunions and weddings often inspire a person to have a procedure that they have been considering.  Everyone wants to look their best for the event and the photographs that will become a part of family history.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery before a wedding or event, there are several points that should be carefully considered.  Timing, recovery, risk, stress, expense, and family all play a part.  Cosmetic surgery is real surgery.  It is permanent.  Make sure that you understand the risks and benefits.

If you want cosmetic surgery for an event, make sure you talk to your plastic surgeon early.  It make take weeks or even a month or two to get an appointment for a consult with a reputable plastic surgeon.  There may be some time before the surgery can actually be scheduled.  There may be preoperative requirements such as lab tests, EKG's or mammograms that take time to schedule before the surgery can be performed.  My facelift patients must be off all tobacco and nicotine products for six weeks before the surgery.  If you were to choose a CO2 laser skin resurfacing, you should have two  weeks of skin treatments prior to surgery in order to get the optimal results.

For best results I prefer to perform major facial and body contouring surgery at least three months in advance of the big event.  This gives the surgery a chance to settle.  Breast augmentation is an exception, but it should still ideally be done more than six weeks, if possible, before the event or wedding.  Remember, dress fittings take time!

Liposuction requires a rather bulky garment for two weeks and a very tight girdle for four more weeks (at 24 hours a day).  This is not something desirable to wear under your dress (or on the honeymoon)!  Facial cosmetic surgery takes a little time to settle and soften, and you may not be able to be in the sun in the immediate postoperative period.  Insignificant small temporary irregularities that would not be noticeable in every day activity might make you feel conspicuous at a wedding or celebration where you are a major participant.  Having surgery performed early allows the swelling to subside, the incisions to mature and any minor complications to resolve.

The closer to the event, the more emotional you may become.  Having surgery, even cosmetic surgery, may add unnecessary stress if not planned properly.  Any cosmetic surgery can make someone feel depressed postoperatively.  This depression in the recovery period is often due to the initial isolation and decreased activity needed immediately after surgery.  Anticipate the potential for the "post-op blues".  The longer period of time before the actual event, the less impact surgery will have on the heightened emotions, and the more time for the surgical site to mature and look its best.  The drugs for discomfort postoperatively may interfere with your ability to make decisions.  Leave enough time to plan the wedding or event and recover.  Weddings are stressful enough!

Cosmetic surgery before a wedding is an issue that should be discussed with your fiance.  While it is your right to make decisions about your own body, you are planning on spending the rest of your life with this person.  His/her feelings should be taken into consideration.  You will do better after the surgery if you have a positive emotional support structure around you.

I have seen many people for cosmetic surgery evaluations before a wedding.  Not only brides, but also grooms, in-laws, and members of the wedding party have been interested in enhancing their appearance.  The typical cosmetic surgery on the younger bride is either liposuction or breast enhancement.  For the grooms it may be liposuction.  Some of the more mature brides and their parents are interested in facelifts, eyelid lifts and many of all ages are interested in lip enhancements.  Major body contouring takes longer to recover from and if there is not enough time before the event, the recovery may keep you from actively running those last minute errands associated with an event.

CO2 laser skin resurfacing can be done for wrinkles or acne scars, but it requires more recovery time for the optimal result and skin color.  Skin is sensitive to the sun right after the resurfacing, so tropical honeymoons or trips soon after a laser treatment requires a total UVA/UVB sun block to be worn at all times during the day.  There are minor laser peels that take less time to recover from, but also gives less of an improvement in wrinkles.  Mild skin peels or microdermabrasion can enhance your skin tone with no down time.  Medium depth peels have about a week's worth of down time and can give your skin a fresher look but none of these can give your skin the tightening that you achieve with a CO2 laser resurfacing.  There are several techniques on the market now for tightening the skin with no down time, but they are not yet time proven techniques, and it is difficult to separate the market hype from true results.

There are many minor procedures that can be done to enhance your appearance other than surgery.  The procedures have a short down time, and can be done within a few weeks of an event.  Botox can be used to smooth wrinkles; you should get this done at least two weeks before the event in case of bruising.  Botox is an agent used to temporarily immobilize the muscles that are causing wrinkles.  Remember its results last about three to six months.

Restylane, Juvederm, and other hyaluronic acid fillers can be used to fill wrinkles and enhance lips.  Hyaluronic acid is found in our bodies and skin testing is not needed prior to injection.  Restylane lasts from six to twelve months, though most of my patients say about eight months.  I have done quite a few injections of Restylane within a few weeks of a wedding when there was not enough time to do procedures with lengthy recovery periods.  Fat injection, using fat from your body to fill an area, has the potential to be permanent.  With fat injection there is quite a bit of swelling and your lips will be conspicuously swollen for a few weeks after fat injections.  There are many other temporary fillers with various risks and benefits that may help, but recovery, risks, potential clumping under the skin and the amount of time it may take unexpected lumps to resolve are to be considered.  There are other fillers that have some uses, and last more than one year, but they take time to get results, and may have to be done in several stages.

There are many ways to improve your appearance before a wedding or reunion; surgery is just one.  Surgery can be used to increase your confidence if you have the time and want a more permanent change in your appearance.  Let your plastic surgeon know the wedding/event date and your timetable.  Any surgery is going to come with a cost, both in expense, risk and recovery time.  These issues should be explored completely before committing to surgery.  There are many procedures being marketed by physicians and providers, and not all of them meet expectations promised.  Make sure you understand the surgery to be performed, the recovery time, and the risks involved.  There are no surgical procedures without risks.  If you decide to have cosmetic surgery or a procedure to enhance your appearance, plan carefully and make your choice count.

Ask for a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a certifying board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties.  A plastic surgeon should have from six to seven years of formal surgical training after medical school.  Your surgeon also should have privileges to perform the same procedure(s) at a local hospital that you are planning to have performed at a surgery center.  Make sure the surgery center you will use is also certified by a nationally recognized agency.